Time: A Traveler's Guide

by Clifford A. Pickover

"Bucky Fuller thought big," Wired magazine recently noted, "Arthur C. Clarke thinks big, but Cliff Pickover outdoes them both." In his newest book, Cliff Pickover outdoes even himself, probing a mystery that has baffled mystics, philosophers, and scientists throughout history--What is the nature of time? In A Traveler's Guide, Pickover takes readers to the forefront of science as he illuminates the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe--time itself. Is time travel possible? Is time real? Does it flow in one direction only? Does it have a beginning and an end? What is eternity? Pickover's book offers a stimulating blend of Chopin, philosophy, Einstein, and modern physics, spiced with diverting side-trips to such topics as the history of clocks, the nature of free will, and the reason gold glitters. Numerous diagrams ensure readers will have no trouble following along. By the time we finish this book, we understand a wide variety of scientific concepts pertaining to time. And most important, we will understand that time travel is, indeed, possible.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Time Travel, Physics, Philosophy, History

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Clifford Alan Pickover is an American author, editor, and columnist in the fields of science, mathematics, science fiction, innovation, and creativity. For many years, he was employed at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown, New York, where he was editor-in-chief of the IBM Journal of Research and Development. He has been granted more than 700 U.S. patents, is an elected Fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and is author of more than 50 books, translated into more than a dozen languages.

Reviews

[Julie Bihn]

Has some fascinating science and ideas but the "framing device" where "you" are a male scientist obsessed with a pretty young (female) thing got annoying to me real quick. Review at blog.juliebihn.com

[Miles G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book fascinating, and mostly easy to follow. It had a substantial amount of information, collected in one place for the reader. I didn't, however, care for the narrative that starts each chapter. It seems unnecessary and very odd, considering it could have just as easily been two scientists having a discussion, rather than a sex-crazed professor, a female musician, and an alien with tails!
It was still absolutely worth the read. I ended up reading it over several months, so I had time to think about everything discussed before moving ahead.

[Ezra · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a fictional story of a man trying to travel back in time with his student to listen to Chopin and then have sex with her. This story is dumb and has all kinds of issues with consent. The other part of this book is scientific explanations for time travel. I didn't have the patience to figure out the equations because I'm not in school trying to get a good grade. The book is almost okay but I don't think this guy is a good science explainer. I expect the science has moved on so the explanations probably aren't up to date anymore.

[Harry Alleva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to give this book a better rating. The topic of time is one I gravitate to. Unfortunately, for me, not being a physics major, this book was a disappointment. I managed to keep up for the first two chapters but thereafter I was overwhelmed with the mathematical formulas presented. The book became akin to a mathematics textbook. The side story also was so silly really that it did nothing for the book much less help to explain the concepts presented.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for time travel enthusiasts

I enjoyed the side story that went along with the science. I believe it was a smart and successful way of introducing the concepts before establishing the science behind each concept.

[Ucp]

One of the best time-travel books of The decade.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate Cliff Pickover, particularly his ability to think scientifically while simultaneously exploring associations and concepts outside the mainstream. The highlights of this book about the possibilities of time travel are the theoretical & scientific parts, which enthusiastically present concise explanations and creative applications of established physics theory and cutting-edge research. Also, typical Pickoverian creativity and abstract associations abound here; one central theme applies music theory as a metaphor for the nature of time. Unfortunately these gems comprise only half of each chapter in the book, and their brilliance is somewhat tarnished by the other half.

In this book, Pickover chose to bridge the scientific sections with narrative, a technique he's used successfully before in other books. Our tale is set centuries into the future of New York, where a professor ("you"), his alien assistant, & his sexy student/protege/love interest have hatched a risky, illegal plan to time travel back to experience Chopin's debut piano concert. The story sounded fun, and I started off reading with high expectations...

Unfortunately, instead of crafting his usual intricate web of temporal connections to enthrall readers, Pickover seems to have taken the easy way out. He hardly even bothers to remind us that we are indeed in the future, except by way of frequent, detailed descriptions of superficial, futuristic trinketry inserted into the characters' everyday lives. It's disappointing to see an intriguing fiction idea so badly mishandled; the heavy-handed narrative, absent character development, and the painful cliches that define this half of Time: A Traveler's Guide are so out of character for Pickover that I found myself wondering if he may have used a ghostwriter for the non-scientific parts. I certainly hope so, because Pickover is widely known for two characteristics: his prolific writing and publishing, and the staggering variety and creativity of the resulting works. However, I feel compelled to suggest, as his editor once did, that perhaps he ought to dial back the former in order to safeguard the quality of the latter.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not know Clifford Pickover. Indeed, I have never heard of him before randomly, well not entirely randomly due to the limited nature of the collection in our local library, pulled this book from the non-fiction section to fulfill my desire for some balance in my reading. This is the book Alan Lightman would have written if he had not written Einstein's Dreams as a novel. What we have here is a beautifully crafted, elegant exploration of time with a clever twist.

The reason I prefaced my review with a disclaimer is simple. I was driven to more thought by this book than has happened in quite a while. I had to think through a wondrous collection of quotes about time ranging from Augustine of Hippo to Woody Allen. I should have actually listened to my small but sturdy collection of Chopin while reading this book, but I allowed my memory to permit random clips to intrude and wished that I could read music when I encountered a line from an Etude at the beginning of a chapter. To be precise, I find myself wanting to praise the author beyond all reasonable extent, ad infinitum.

I love the characters, though I confess to having to do a bit of research on the person of Constantia Gladkowska to comprehend some of the reason the author chose Chopin, or rather Constantia, though any causality on the part of the reader may have no bearing on the author's intent.

Excuse me, while I go in search of other works by this remarkable writer. He is right up there with the best.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun enough, but the author is certainly not going to win a Hugo or Nebula any time soon. He tries to mix in some very poorly-written, yet still fun, science-fiction (and romance?) to keep the topic light. I think this is a hedge because there is a lot of serious science here leading to the possibility of time travel in the real future (and its implications), but of course, if you seem to take that topic too seriously, you'd be written off as a quack in any serious academic circle.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unless the fact I've been reading this for like about 6 years, on and off, it is really good for someone, who is not into physics, to understand how time traveling exists through small experiments.

Conclusion/Confusion: if I run really really fast, in super high speed, I might meet my future self and say "hi" (if we both exist in the same space).

Also, no way you won't be listening to Chopin after that - to forget about previous confusion.

[Logan Teder]

I remember the information seemed novel and well-explained, with a good amount of math (mostly algebra). Some of the examples or narratives he used to get into detail about things seemed dumb and possibly sexist...? That has soured my memory of it. But I still recommend the book if you think you'd be interested in relativity, black holes, and how they can create scenarios similar to how people conventionally think of "time travel."

[Tone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gotta knock this down a full start for the narrative that holds the science material together.

It's the story of a professor with two students, an alien he mistreats and a girl he lusts over. And it's written in second person so the author is trying to cast the reader as this sleazy professor.

But its a quick read and you'll get the science down pretty easy.

[Samantha Wichers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sexist, unfunny, very uninteresting.

[Dustin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little "practical" guide to time travel.

[Deb White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complex and tuff at times, but lots of fun and stimulating. He gets me to 'thinking' about things. It was the reading of this book that got me studying and making magick squares.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. If I ever decide to try to build a time machine, I'll keep this book handy.

[Verena Wachnitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's thought provoking and interesting, but the "story" the accompanies the science is a bit silly… still worth reading.

[Mariah Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on this topic! It is really entertaining as well as informative and it lucidly explains all of the topics mentioned.